Melon pan
Cookie-crust sweet bun
メロンパン · Sweet bun under a crisp, crackled cookie crust
Melon pan takes its name from its looks, not its taste: a soft sweet bun baked under a sugary cookie crust scored into a criss-cross pattern like a cantaloupe rind. Japanese bakeries and school canteens sell it everywhere, and around Kobe and Hiroshima the same bun is often called sunrise. It is best on the day it is baked, when the crust still crackles against the fluffy inside. The common mistake is warm, soft cookie dough, which sticks to your hands and slides off the bun in the oven; keep it well chilled and work quickly. Chef's tip: roll the cookie dough between two sheets of baking paper so you can lift it neatly onto each bun.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the bread dough
- 1 oz sugar
- ⅛ oz salt
- ½ cup milklukewarm
- ½ eggbeaten (use the rest in the cookie dough)
- ⅔ oz unsalted buttersoftened
For the cookie crust
- 1 ¾ oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 2 ½ oz sugar
- ½ eggbeaten
- 4 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp granulated sugarfor coating
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: For the crust, beat 1 ¾ oz unsalted butter and 2 ½ oz sugar until pale, then beat in ½ egg and ½ tsp vanilla extract. Stir in 4 ½ oz plain flour and ½ tsp baking powder to a soft dough. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.
10 minStep 2: For the bread, mix 9 oz strong white bread flour, 1 oz sugar, ⅛ oz salt and ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast. Add ½ cup milk and ½ egg and knead for 8 minutes, then knead in ⅔ oz unsalted butter until the dough is smooth and elastic.
12 minStep 3: Cover and leave in a warm place until doubled.
60 minStep 4: Divide the dough into 8 balls, tuck them smooth and round, cover and rest for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 5: Divide the chilled cookie dough into 8. Roll each between baking paper into a 10 cm circle.
10 minStep 6: Lay a cookie circle over each bread ball and cup it in your hand so the crust covers the top and sides, leaving the base bare. Press the tops into 3 tbsp granulated sugar, then score a diamond pattern with the back of a knife, not cutting right through.
Step 7: Set on lined trays and leave to rise until about 1.5 times bigger. Meanwhile heat the oven to 350°F.
40 minStep 8: Bake until the crust is pale golden and crackled and the buns sound hollow underneath.
14 minStep 9: Cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes so the crust crisps.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does melon pan take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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